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Patented'June 1 1897.

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UNITED STATES PATENT EEIcE.

CHARLES T. REDFIELD, OF GLEN HAVEN, NEW YORK.

THILL-COUPL ING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 583,816, dated June 1, 1897.

Application filed December 26, 1896. Serial No. 617,087. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES T. REDEIELD,

of Glen Haven, in the county of Cayuga and- State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Thill-Oouplings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in thillcouplings, and has for its object, among others, to provide a device which will efficiently serve to overcome all rattling in the coupling, will positively lock both the bolt and nut from accidental turning without interfering with the application or removal of the nut, when desired, without injury to any part, can be applied to the ordinary coupling without any change in the latter, can be applied to either round or square couplingbolts, and can be economically made and readily applied.

The invention consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a thill-coupling embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is a front View thereof before the nut is applied and tightened. Fig. 3 is a similar view with the parts adjusted as when in use, and Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views showing somewhat different forms of the plate.

The clip A, with its ears a, the bolt B, and the thill-iron C and its eye 0 may be of ordinary construction, as shown.

The locking and antirattling plate D has the intermediate or main portion d bowed upwardly at its middle at d to press against the eye 0 and provided at one end with the upturned nut-wing D and at its other end with the upturned bolt-wing D the latter having an opening (1 for the bolt and means for locking the bolt from turning, such means being preferably the flange D which fits alongside the head of the bolt and may be notched at d to receive the corner of the bolt-head if the corner be presented to such flange. The opening d may be a hole closed on all sides, or it may be slotted, as shown in Fig. 5, so the plate can be applied to the bolt without withdrawing the bolt from the clipcars. This bolt-wing D is arranged at an angle to the plate 61 less than a right angle and inclines inward toward its free end, so it gree to which the nut is turned on the bolt. 1

From Fig. 2 it will be seen that when the plate is applied prior to tightening the nut the main portion will not press strongly against the thill-eye, but will in operation be forced up to so act as the nut is tightened, as will be understood from Fig. 3. When applied as shown in Fig. 3, the wing D is held between the bolt-head b and the ear a, its flange D projecting adjacent to the head of the bolt. The main portion d extends alongside the eye 0 with its portion cl pressing firmly against such eye, and the wing D projecting to a position close to the nut, so the latter cannot jar loose, the edge of the wing D being preferably slightly separated from and clear of the nut, so the portion d may bear with full tension against the eye of the thill-iron and thus prevent any rattling thereof. It will also be seen that the plate D by its pressure against the eye 0 acts to draw the bolt tightly in the clip-ears and so prevents the bolt from rattling.

It is evident that my improved plate D can be cheaply made and easily applied to the ordinary thin-coupling, and will when soapplied serve the triple purpose of a bolt-lock, a nut-lock, and an antirattler, performing all such functions equally well without any alteration or change in the ordinary coupling.

It will be readily seen that while the nutlocking flange will hold-the nut from accidental turning the said nut may be forcibly turned up or off by any suitable wrench without injuring the plate or in any way decreas ing the efiiciency of such plate. It is also evident that the improvement can be applied to a coupling having either a round or angular bolt, and that the normal inclination of the bolt-Wing tends to give the bolt a longitudinal strain that avoids any rattling in such direction. In fact,the said plate tightens the coupling in all directions.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A thill-coupling having the ears, bolt, nut and thill-iron eye and the antirattlingplate having at one end a portion held between the bolt-head and ear, a portion between its end to bear against the thill-eye, and having at its free end a portion extended adjacent to the side of the nut and adapted to look the same from accidentalturning and yet permit it to be forcibly turned on or off substantially as shown and described.

2. As an improved article of manufacture a thill-ooupling plate having an intermediate or main portion bowed upwardly at its middle, provided at one end thereof with an upturned flange to rest along the side of the nut and having at its opposite end a boltwin g arranged at an acute angle to the main portion and provided at its free end with a flange to overlap the b01t1h02td substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination with the thill-iron,ears, bolt and nut of the antirattling-plate, having a main portion bearing between its ends against the thill-iron, provided at one end of said main portion with a wing held beneath the head of the bolt and having the opposite end of said portion free and provided with a wing lying adjacent to the side of the nut whereby to lock the same from accidental displacement and yet permit its forcible turning on or off substantially as shown and described.

CHARLES 'J. REDFIELD. Witnesses:

PERRY B. TURPIN, SoLoN O. KEMoN. 

